Cinderella Story
by TsumiNoAru
Summary: Kakashi wants to visit a new place in Konoha, unfortunately it's forbidden for him. So he changes his appearance which has unexpected outcomes. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Cinderella

Author: Tsuminoaru

Rating: PG

Pairing: Yonkaka

Warning: hm... nothing really important. (There is a bit angst and fluff, I guess. But there is going to be more of the second in the next chapter ___)

A/N: Many thanks to Vernajast for beta-reading!!! ___

_____

Kakashi dried his freshly dyed hair with a towel and chanced a look into the mirror. Hn... He wasn't convinced this would do it, but he was determined to try it! The jounin brushed his hair back and made a pony tail so he had better access to his face. He traced the scar on his cheek with his fingertips. For a moment he was carried away, lost in memories, then he reminded himself to go back to the task. He took the small make-up tube and covered up the scar thoroughly. Then he placed a grey contact lens at his left eye. After he was done, he looked at his reflection, his face in particular. It didn't look right, it didn't *feel* right, but it was only for tonight so Kakashi supposed it was okay.

The fifteen-year-old used some mascara on his grey eyelashes and pulled the hair tie out, combing some of the now raven black strands over his sharingan eye and part of the covered scar. It didn't do any harm to play safe.   Done.

He was still unsure whether or not this would actually work as he entered his bedroom and changed into his ANBU uniform, leaving the armor and the porcelain mask out. But the Festival was a far too big a chance to let it simply slip away. There were some foreign shinobi from befriended villages in Konohagakure tonight who were about his size, so he could pass as one of them. Without his mask, he also looked a bit older. If he was lucky, nobody would question him.

Kakashi braced himself and left his small apartment... for the newly opened striptease club.

---

The Hatake couldn't believe how simple it was. He'd been prepared to make use of his sharingan if needed, but the jounin at the entrance glanced at him and let him inside. Apparently, he neither looked suspicious since he wasn't using any henge jutsu nor had he looked underage. 

He was of a legal age since he was fourteen, actually, but for this particular club one had to be eighteen at least. The Hokage allowed the club to open only under this condition, so genjutsu and henge justu were also strictly forbidden. 

Kakashi figured the tattoo of the Black Ops must also have paved the way for him since most ANBU members were about twenty. The other jounin was probably thinking it wasn't wise for an ANBU to show his face but the Hatake was so not bothered by his opinion.

It wasn't Kakashi's first time visiting a striptease club, of course -- being addicted to Icha Icha and all -- but the first time under such circumstances. He had no mission in there and he would be able to enjoy himself and drink alcohol, loosen up a bit without having to fear to lose control of a henge jutsu. And if the reaction of the doorman was any indication, no one would treat him like a child.

Konoha's striptease club wasn't all that big but the atmosphere was 'niiiice.' The light was dim. There was a bar, tables with comfortable looking chairs, and three stages -- two small and round and a big one in the middle of the place. AND, last but not least, there were damn sexy dancers. It was perfect! What would you need more?

The guests were following the performances, some were chatting and flirting, so Kakashi slipped to the bar nearly unnoticed and ordered himself a drink.

Then, with his drink in hand, the Hatake turned to face the main stage so he had a better view and could enjoy the performance. Kakashi was about to swallow a mouthful of saké when he spotted two familiar men at the first table in front of the stage. He nearly spit the alcohol out then and there; instead, he choked on it.

His heart sank.

There was no mistake -- not far away from him was a totally drunken Jiraiya cheering at the dancer and enjoying himself while more or less headlocking the Yondaime Hokage. Even in the dim light, Kakashi could see the deeply red blush of embarrassment on the blond's face. He would have felt sorry for him if he hadn't been panicking so much. He was sure they would recognize him the first time they saw him. He needed to get the hell out of there!  

Kakashi stood.

iThen again.../i

He sat down and decided to calm down first, to think rationally. While doing so, his gaze never left the two men.

The Sannin was pretty much drunk and way too interested in the performance. And the Yondaime... well, with Jiraiya holding him like that, the man wasn't going anywhere. Kakashi just had to repress his chakra, so his sensei wouldn't sense him and stay at the bar in the shadows. Sounded simple and manageable enough. 

Yes, that was it. That's what Kakashi was going to do. He hadn't dyed his hair for nothing!  

If he was lucky, those two would leave soon. But knowing Jiraiya he didn't really count on that.

---

A while and three drinks later Kakashi's nervousness was replaced by amusement. It was pretty hilarious to see how his sensei was trying and failing to escape or to talk Jiraiya into leaving. In the end, the Yondaime was the one who was talked into drinking, or so it seemed. 

Kakashi nearly jumped when the Yellow Flash suddenly appeared at his side and ordered the barkeeper to replace his saké with water the next time the waitress brought them their drinks. After Kakashi recovered from his shock, he realized the man nearby him was just a kage bunshin while the real one was still held in place by the Sannin.

"Interesting... So, you're allowed to perform ninjutsu in here?" Kakashi spoke before he could stop himself from doing so. Apparently the alcohol had already started to work because he would have never ever spoken up in such circumstances if he'd been sober! He was already berating himself inwardly and searching for a way to talk himself out of the situation. His sensei wouldn't approve of him visiting this place. He would probably be disappointed in the first place and then he would hold a speech about how wrong it was, and how it was against the rules, and how he was way too young for such things, and, and, and... Ah, not to forget, he would probably laugh at him because of his black hair and all. Naturally, Kakashi wanted to avoid being discovered, but he figured it was already too late.

"Why, ye..." the Yondaime began and apparently forgot how to end his sentence as his eyes met the young man at his left.

He stared

...and stared.

Kakashi shifted under the gaze, panicking on the inside while staying mostly cool on the outside. He was ninety-nine percent sure his sensei had recognized him, which was the reason for the staring.

"You know, you shouldn't stare at people that openly. It's not very polite," the young jounin said a little pouty. So yeah, he dyed his hair (and his eyebrows), and actually used some mascara on his eyelashes because he needed them to be black, aaand he showed his face on purpose. Yes, he'd gone through so much trouble only to disguise his identity in order to visit a striptease club. And, YES, now that he thought about it, he felt pretty dumb and wished he could just disappear. SO, was it really necessary for his sensei to stare at him like that? Because in spite of the fact that it was just a kage bunshin, the staring still had the same irritating effect.

"Oh! Uhm... yeah, yes..." the blond spluttered and actually blushed. "I... mean, I'm sorry!" he said while attempting to take a seat at the bar stool next to Kakashi's. He was still staring.

For a moment Kakashi stared blankly back in irritation, then he narrowed his eyes to slits and looked at the man suspiciously. It didn't look as if the Yondaime was acting, but then again, why would he behave like that?

"Then why don't you stop staring, if you agree?" Kakashi asked gruffly. Because, clearly, this started to be really irritating and made the Hatake want to hide his face, which he couldn't at the moment.

"Uhm... tha... that's because I can't?" the Yondaime stuttered in respond, smiled, and scratched the back of his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Was that some kind of punishment? Was his sensei trying to make him feel uncomfortable so he wouldn't try something stupid like this ever again? Then it wasn't working because the Yondaime seemed to feel more uncomfortable and embarrassment than Kakashi did.

"What is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to pick a fight or something?" the young ANBU asked, a bit out of it. Like what the hell? He rose to his feet.

"Woah! Noo..." the blond raised his hands in denial and leaned backwards, nearly falling from his stool in the process. "The barkeeper is also staring at you! Why are you only angry at me? Uhm... I mean, I didn't want to make you angry! I'm sorry I stared!"

"You still are!"

"Yeah, well... I'm sorry I'm still staring at you! I'm really trying my hardest not to! Is it my fault you are so handsome? I mean, please... le... let me get you a drink as an apology?" the Yondaime babbled. He looked at Kakashi sheepishly with a hint of a blush across his cheeks.

Kakashi gave him a blank look. "I'm sorry?" It was a joke, wasn't it?

"Can I get you something?" the blond repeated himself, and then he seemed to have a moment of realization after which he tried to hide his disappointment. "Uhm... oh, I see", he looked down, "I sometimes miss the hints if someone tries to say 'no' politely. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so forward ...or hit on you. Uhm, I mean I *was* hitting on you, but yeah... I mean, no... What I mean is, I was trying to... But don't get me wrong! I really didn't mean to be impose!!! Uhm..." 

He was babbling and spluttering again, and blushing madly, and gesturing chaotically with his hands while smiling far too much.

Kakashi watched the blond with amazement and growing realization which finally hit him. He hadn't been discovered by the Yondaime! He didn't know why but apparently even his voice wasn't a big enough hint for the Hokage to recognize him as his former student. Hn... Maybe he sounded different because he wasn't wearing his mask? Kakashi wasn't all too convinced that was the reason, but it didn't bother him that much, anyway. As long as he wasn't recognized, that is.

"It wasn't a rejection. I just wasn't sure whether I'd understood you right," Kakashi pointed out, effectively stopping his sensei's babbling before he could make a complete fool of himself. Uhm, well... Actually he'd probably accomplished that already because Kakashi had rarely ever heard his sensei talking so much nonsense in one breath, while acting like a complete idiot. On the other hand -- the teenager wasn't exactly sure why -- it was kind of charming. And it actually made him laugh.

Now the Yondaime was imitating a fish, probably not on propose, which made Kakashi laugh even more.

"Jeez... You suck at pick-up lines", the young ANBU told him after regaining control of himself. He took a seat at his bar stool again.

"I guess so... I don't do that often," the blond admitted with a decent blush and laughed a bit. At least he didn't seem as nervous as some moments ago.

"I figured that much," Kakashi said and looked at the man. Then, with a sly grin, he added, "But then again, it also could be just you're scum."

The Yellow Flash actually make an attempt to look offended, but he failed to keep the expression for long and smiled sheepishly instead. "Uh, you got me... So, what would you like to drink?"

----

Hours later Kakashi found himself drinking much more than he intended, flirting with his former sensei instead of watching the show, and completely falling for the man although he had nearly convinced himself he'd gotten over his first crush on him. 

During that time, the Yondaime managed to excuse himself from Jiraiya since Kakashi pointed out he wouldn't dance with a shadow clone. The whole time afterward, the blond actually tried to persuade him into dancing, simply ignoring Kakashi's objections of this being not the right place and him being a miserable dancer. Although the Hatake would actually love to be held tightly by his former sensei while dancing, he didn't want to draw attention and he didn't want the blond to laugh at him, either. Because he *really* was a miserable dancer.

"You don't like me at all!" the blond exclaimed with a pout.

"Why, that's not true!"

"Then why would..." the Yondaime began but was interrupted by the barkeeper.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we are closing. It's already an hour after the closing time," the man said politely and gestured to the tables which were all empty. Even Jiraiya had already left - probably with some of the dancers. 

The two of them glanced over the place, both surprised that they hadn't noticed the time nor the guests leaving the club.

"Oh..." the blond mouthed, "then we should leave as well, I guess." He smiled apologetically at the barkeeper, who'd had to work longer because of them, paid the bill sand left a tip.

Then, he looked to Kakashi.

"Shall we?" he asked, and Kakashi nodded and stood up. They left the club without exchanging further words.

Outside the sun had already begun to rise, but the streets were still empty and quiet. A light breeze brought the smell of coming rain...

Somehow, Kakashi felt the atmosphere change with the change of places. He felt more sober than he probably was, and he felt nervous. He was more than aware of the Yondaime, who stayed so close to him that their upper arms touched. He felt awkward. Although he knew the man very well, and he sometimes felt nervous around him before because of his crush, something was different this time. Kakashi couldn't point out what it was.

"So... shall I bring you to the hotel? In which one are you staying?" the Yellow Flash asked to interrupt the silence. His voice was cheerful in an attempt to lighten the mood which had suddenly become weary. Apparently the man had noticed it as well.

Hotel? 

Kakashi looked up at him, being still slightly shorter. His eyes widened as he became aware of the situation he was in.  

The blond was thinking of him as of a foreign shinobi. He was flirting with him, because he was thinking of him as a foreign shinobi. Someone else, someone of the age around eighteen. Maybe the blond wanted to meet him again, or maybe he even had some other kind of 'intentions.

But that really didn't matter now because he wasn't from another village. He hadn't meant to trick the Yondaime, but in the end he unwillingly did so. Now he couldn't tell him the truth because he didn't want to disappoint the blond. He didn't want to make him sad... He couldn't fake his identity any longer, either, because he wasn't faking or playing or lying while he was in the club. It all was real, he'd just forgotten everything around him including his appearance. Now he was aware of it all. But playing along and letting the blond walk him to a hotel, pretending having a room there -- that would make him a liar for real. He couldn't do that, he couldn't fool his sensei on purpose.

He bit his lip, feeling guilty, and looked away. He couldn't stand looking into those warm blue eyes, seeing the Yondaime was still clueless, was actually worrying, probably wondering what was wrong so suddenly.

"I wish I had danced with you... I'm sorry," Kakashi said with regret after a moment of silence. Then he forced himself to look the man in the eyes one last time. He used his sharingan and the moment of unawareness to capture the Yondaime in a genjutsu because he had no chance to escape otherwise. The blond was called the Yellow Flash of Konoha for a reason, and Kakashi knew better than to question that nickname. He ran for it using two shadow clones to disguise himself and the direction he was hitting, knowing it wouldn't take the Hokage long to undo the genjutsu.

One of his shadow clones puffed in the air as the Yondaime caught up with it, but by that time Kakashi was already in his apartment. Some moments afterwards, he let his other clone disappear as well.

---

So... That was it, Kakashi thought as he leaned with his back against the door of his flat, his eyes closed, his breath shaking. 

Now he knew that he did stand a chance. In fact, it seemed the blond was attracted to him for real. But only as long he was a complete stranger...

 Knowing that made Kakashi feel even more hopeless, because this time he was sure it wasn't just a crush. He really did fall for the man. Too bad all he had and all he would ever get was probably this night. There was no way he could repeat that act; he wasn't even acting then. There was no way he could tell the blond the truth because after leaving him like that he would surely hate him. Kakashi couldn't bear that. And, of course, there was no way the Yondaime would fall for someone whom he regarded as his younger brother.

Kakashi slid to the ground and leaned his forehead against his knees.

Shit, it was all a mistake. Breaking the rules led one nowhere but a personal hell in the end, Kakashi thought bitterly and sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Cinderella

Author: Tsuminoaru

Rating: PG

Pairing: Yonkaka

A/N: huh, there were supposed to be only two chapters of this story, but the story kinda developed on its own ^^° So I think there would be at least two more chapters.

AND, again, many thanks to Vernajast for beta-reading!!! You saved me (and this ff)! __

_______________

It was a nice, shiny and peaceful day. The streets of Konoha were filled with life. All in all an ordinary afternoon in the hidden village. That is, if you ignored the honoured Fourth Hokage who was ungracefully running through the streets. His white and red cloak was dripping with mud and some other unknown substance for the blond managed to step in every puddle left from the rain.

"Kakashi-kun would you..." the Yondaime called but was cut off as he almost ran into a passer-by.

He apologized hastily and rushed after Kakashi. He had been chasing after the teen for three days now, neglecting his paperwork and skipping his lunch. It was ridiculous but the teenager kept running away and hiding from him ever since Minato showed him the picture of "the guy from the club." He'd taken it of his own shadow clone that was under the influence of a Henge-jutsu. The result wasn't perfect, but overall the young man on the photo looked like the one he'd met.

Or like his infamous former student with black hair and exposed face.

Minato wasn't known for evil mind games, but he couldn't let such a golden opportunity pass. He thought it wouldn't hurt to tease Kakashi a little bit and play along a little longer. After all, the Hatake was the one who started this carnival.

Unfortunately, Minato hadn't expected for Kakashi to react like he did.

After seeing the picture, the boy paled visibly and ran away before the blond could stop him.

Minato figured Kakashi might be ashamed of what he'd done which was all too logical. Going through so much trouble only to visit a striptease club was pretty hilarious. Anyhow, Minato wanted to eat some ramen with Kakashi and spend some time with him — as long as he had time, that is. This week was the only one in the near future where the blond's office wasn't about to explode because of too many scrolls, paper sheets and all kind of other documents. Thus, Minato wanted to tell Kakashi he wasn't going to laugh at him or lecture him or anything; that the boy could stop running, hiding, and avoiding him for god's sake! He wasn't fourteen after all and this behaviour was simply childish and ridiculous.

To Minato's frustration and irritation, even after three days, Kakashi had yet to come to this reasonable conclusion.

The Yondaime couldn't deny it had been amusing and fun to some degree (and he had an excuse to skip the - in comparison - little work he had), at first. After three days though, the fourth Hokage was losing his patience.

"Kakashi-kun, this..." the blond tried one last time to talk to Kakashi, or more exactly he called after the teen since one couldn't say it was much of a talk for the Hokage didn't come far with his speech. There was either a passer-by or something else that interrupted him in the beginning of the sentence and ever so small distraction was enough time for Kakashi to get off his reach. Thus, the Yondaime didn't come far with his attempts to talk some sense into the boy. Instead, he'd made himself look like an idiot who was left in the rain at the end of the day.

It was not the first time the Yellow Flash asked himself why on Earth he was doing this. He was the Hokage, for god's sake! His face had been craved into a goddamn 2,000 meters high mountain! He could kill 40 shinobi in no more than 2 minutes... And he was chasing after a fifteen-year-old like an idiot. WHY?

The Yondaime didn't bother much about his image, but he decided now and then to set a limit. After all, he couldn't make a fool of himself because of one stupid, stubborn, unreasonable teenager, especially when it wasn't solving anything.

Minato came to a halt on a roof from which he'd hoped he could see Kakashi better among all those people. Since he finally decided he wasn't going to participate in this foolish hide-and-seek game any longer, he performed the Hiraishin no Justu. With the lighting speed of a thunder god, he arrived in a blink of an eye at his office near his desk, which was overloaded with documents (at least it was only the desk and not also the whole ground).

Whether Kakashi was going to like it or not, the blond had set his mind. He fished a blank scroll and a pen out of the pile of documents and made a free spot on the desk by pushing some of the stuff to the side. In the process, some of the scroll fell off the table, along with an ink tube. It caused a mess on the floor, but the Yondaime didn't bother. He was busy scribbling an order in a barely readable handwriting which he owned (to the misfortune of all the people who were working with and under him).

As he finished and the labelled scroll could pass as modern art, he called for one of the two ANBU members who where shadowing him outside the building.

The masked man hesitated as he saw the Hokage since the blond looked as if he'd been living in the forest for a couple of days. His cloak – dirty like it was – was more brown than white, as were the once white bandages on his legs, and a twig stuck out of his chaotic blond hair. And for some reason, there was ink on his chin. It was a very disturbing picture of a supposedly respected man.

The Yondaime, who wasn't aware of his appearance, simply handed the scroll over to the ANBU.

"I would like you to give this to Hatake Kakashi," the Hokage said with a polite smile on his lips. There was no point in reflecting his temper on an uninvolved shinobi.

---

Ten minutes later, the Fourth Hokage was still waiting for his orders to be accomplished, pacing up and down like a tiger in his cage.

Was he overreacting? It wasn't anything major. Maybe he should just let the boy alone for awhile? But it had been three days already, and it wasn't like he was about to eat Kakashi alive! He'd made plans for this week and those plans included Kakashi. He wasn't able to spend time with his student during the festival, already, so he wasn't about to resign because of the stupidity of this so-called -- but still precious and beloved -- prodigy.

Encouraged by his thoughts, the Yondaime was determined to give Kakashi a piece of his mind.

That is, until the young jounin arrived at his office, looking like the picture of misery.

The Yondaime froze in his pace, looking bewildered at the sight of the teen.

The silver-haired jounin might have returned that look if he'd have actually looked up at his sensei-from-the-jungle, but he was determined to focus on some invisible point on the wall diagonally opposite from where he stood.

"You asked for me?" the teen bowed politely.

The Yondaime could tell the boy refrained from calling him 'Hokage-sama'. Minato looked visibly put out, not knowing what to make of what he saw and heard. He hadn't expected for Kakashi to behave so formal and distant out of the blue. Was the Hatake mad at him? No, he appeared more like someone suffering from a serious disease and not like someone who held a grudge.

"Well, yes. I'm sure you know why," the blond responded slowly, still in the process of adjusting to the situation, deciding there was no point commenting on Kakashi's reserved posture or the tone of his voice right now.

"I'm sorry, but if you don't need me for any mission or a related issue, I'd like to ask you to dismiss me..." the boy replied, holding back the honorific title.

The Yondaime felt even more confused. The boy in front of him seemed tense and as if he was forcing himself badly to stay there and not to flee.

"I refuse," Minato said with audible irritation, still unable to turn his gaze from Kakashi, "I'm sorry to press you, but would you please tell me what's wrong? You look horrible."

The Yondaime didn't mean to be so forward, but he was too stunned, too confused and too worried. For once, he didn't care how he got some sort of explanation of Kakashi, as long as he did, because the blond had absolutely no clue what he was supposed to think now.

"Kakashi!" the Yondaime prompted, even more irritated as the young jounin refused to answer.

"I'm so stupid. I made it even worse... You're mad at me," Kakashi said finally, his voice was thick, almost a whisper, and his gaze was now directed to his feet. Although he had gotten pretty tall during the year, he seemed small and lost—at least he did to Minato, but maybe it was all just his imagination.

"What am I supposed to do now...?" the silver-haired boy asked no-one in particular. His voice was so low the Yondaime had barely heard him. He wasn't sure he was meant to hear the words anyway. But he did, and he was about to reply as Kakashi spoke again:

"You're gonna hate me, sensei."

At that, the Yondaime blinked. "What makes you think that?" he asked, wondering what on earth had happened to his student. Slowly but very effectively, this situation was driving the blond crazy. Clearly, this wasn't his week.

Instead of answering his question Kakashi ran his fingers through his messy hair and reached for the knot of his hitae-ate. He unknoted his forehead protector, took it off, and all of a sudden the silver hair became black. The Hokage realized the movement had just released a henge-jutsu and that Kakashi's hair was indeed still black.

Minato watched in silence as the young jounin now pulled down his ever so present mask and, after taking one shaky breath, looked up to the Yondaime.

The blond lifted one eye brow, while Kakashi blinked at his sensei's hilarious appearance. After a moment, though, the teenager apparently remembered he was still about to say something, so he continued.

"I'm sorry... I don't even know where to start to explain... this... I'm not sure I can," Kakashi said, sounding desperate and lost... and at the same time confused because the sight of the Yondaime was throwing him off.

The Yondaime, meantime, didn't know what Kakashi's exposure supposed to explain.

"I'm in love with you," was Kakashi's great explanation which wasn't explaining anything, at least the Yondaime understood as much as he did before.

And then the realization struck him like a two ton hammer at his head and he suddenly felt very guilty.

"I'm not the one who is going to hate you. You are so going to hate me, Kakashi-kun", the Yondaime said softly, with a weak apologetic smile on his face. "I knew it was you. I mean, I've known you for how long already? It's true, I haven't seen your face in years but I've looked often enough in your eyes. There is no way I wouldn't recognize you. I'm so sorry, I thought you'd realized it at some point and just played along."

Kakashi's eyes had gone wide. He starred at his sensei with utter shock, apparently still in the process of comprehending what was said.

"And you flirted with me because...?" Kakashi asked slowly.

"I had to cover up my surprised stare, didn't I? I had to look twice just to be convinced I wasn't hallucinating from too much saké. I mean your hair was... is... black and it wasn't a jutsu. I had difficulties believing you'd actually dyed your hair."

"You stayed with me the whole night! You got me drinks..."

"Better me than someone else. I had to watch over you, since you weren't actually allowed there..."

The Yondaime merely dodged the sudden blow aimed for his chin. He had expected Kakashi to get furious, but he hadn't thought the teen would actually try to hit him. He wondered for a second whether he should allow Kakashi to do so as he sidestepped a side kick. He realized he would end with broken bones if he did, thus it was healthier to dodge the attacks while avoiding to block or counter them. He figured Kakashi would calm down at some point and stop coming at him.

"Coward! At least take it like a man!" the young ANBU shouted, frustrated with himself for not being able to land a hit.

"I would, if it would make you feel any better, but I doubt that," the Yondaime said softly, feeling even guiltier. He was sure there was no point in fighting though. He really meant to apologize but Kakashi didn't look as if he was ready to hear him out. It was far too understandable.

Kakashi snorted and performed another combo-attack. "Are you going to take responsibility for your actions, or what?" the Hatake hissed with fury.

Minato was about to answer when he noticed tears in the boy's mismatched eyes.

Stopping right then and there, with a starting realization somewhere in his subconscious mind, he caught Kakashi's fist as the jounin tried to land a blow. He successfully blocked another blow and griped the boy's left wrist, he pulled him closer so he couldn't kick him, or at least not very efficiently.

"I am very sorry, I didn't mean..." began Minato softly, but was rudely interrupted by Kakashi.

"Don't give me that shit!" the young man growled, while avoiding Yondaime's gaze. He tried to free himself, but gave up on it pretty fast; it seemed he wasn't all too determined to get away.

Minato hadn't imagined hurting Kakashi so deeply. It supposed to be a silly joke, nothing more. It had been such a ridiculous situation back then, he was so sure his student would realize he wasn't serious. It didn't even occur to him Kakashi would develop romantic feelings for him in the process. Even now it seemed very surreal to him.

"I hurt you very much, I realize now. I don't know how to apologize for that, but... Kakashi-kun, you're not in love with me, you can't possibly be... I'm sure it..."

"I AM!" Kakashi, ever so in control of his feelings and actions, now nearly screamed. He looked the blond in the eyes, offended, furious and provoking. "I have been for many years. I've been convincing myself I was over you again and again, and then... you were acting as if you were attracted to me. You don't know what it has meant to me, so don't give me that useless I'm-sorry-speech. You OWE me!"

The boy starred into his eyes, and Minato starred back, at a loss for words.

He was afraid to ask what exactly Kakashi was asking of him. He understood that he indeed owed the Hatake more than an apology. Because, whether he meant it or not, he had played with his student's feelings rather cruelly. Despite that, he wasn't sure he could do what the boy indicated since he couldn't return his feelings right away.

His heart was pounding slowly and heavily, something tightened in his stomach. He could feel Kakashi's breath on his skin, could feel his puls under his fingertips. Suddenly the boy was too close for the Yondaime to feel comfortable.

"Would you give me some time to think about it?" he asked finally, feeling tense and slightly nervous. He released his hold on Kakashi and took one step backwards, tried to escape Kakashi's intense gaze. He could feel the boy's chakra, all glowing and burning inwardly, rushing and pulsate.

Finally Kakashi nodded, and, after a moment, he left. Leaving the Yondaime alone with his thoughts and uncertain feelings.

------------------

thank you for reading, hope you liked the story so far.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Cinderella

Author: Tsuminoaru

Rating: PG

Pairing: Yonkaka

* * *

Kakashi was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts.

What should he do now after he had maneuvered himself into such a desperate situation? It was perfectly clear to Kakashi that the Yondaime wouldn't come telling him how he'd been blind all these years and just hadn't realized he was in love with his student. And because of that, Kakashi knew that he had destroyed the possibility of returning the relationship between the Yondaime and himself to what it was before.

"Idiot, idiot, so foolish," Kakashi whispered hollowly to himself. He turned to his side and buried his face in his hands.

Although the young jounin mourned over his loss—the friendship with the Yondaime was something very precious to him as it helped him not only to survive, but also to live—he still felt he could not forgive the Yondaime just like that or take back his words.

It was true that it had hurt to realize the night at the striptease club was just an act, but that was hardly the worst of it. It was the way the blond had told him about the misunderstanding, how he was sure Kakashi had just acted along. How the blond seemingly couldn't even imagine his feelings could be more than a mere crush. How he wouldn't look at him as an equal.

Kakashi imagined how the Yondaime smiled with amusement and fatherly love at his attempts to flirt, and it made him mad and furious, and embarrassed.

So this was not only about hurt feelings, but also about pride. Thus, Kakashi wanted some sort of compensation: he wanted his pride back.

He refused to feel dumb and ashamed of his actions or his feelings back at that club, yet he couldn't help feeling stupid. He had been serious; he had tried hard to gain the Yondaime's attention, to win his heart somehow. In the end, it had cost him a lot of courage to confess, but the one he confessed to hadn't take him seriously.

His feelings were no joke.

He was young, so what? He wasn't dumb! He knew what love meant! And he was in love, so badly and truly it was driving him mad. So deeply and intense, it hurt and his heart was about to burst.

"Stupid idiot," Kakashi told to himself again.

What should he do now? He wanted to see the Yondaime so badly, his heart ached. At the same time, his pride refused to make a move, just like his fear had refused it in the days before the misunderstanding.

* * *

Kakashi hadn't seen the Hokage for almost four days now. In those days, he had trained until he exhausted himself and just pass out. He couldn't think of any other way to prevent thoughts of his sensei and the things that had happened between them. And despite his aching muscles and some lack of sleep, he was starting to feel better. He even developed some foolish hope that he could somehow manage to forget…

He was on his way to the training ground when something green appeared in his way.

"Stop right there, my eternal rival! With the SPIRIT OF YOUTH it took me only two days to find you, HAHA! Now you can't hide from the challenge I have for you!" the teenager in green shouted.

Of course, it turned out to be none other than Maito Gai. Kakashi couldn't believe his bad luck…

"I doubt that…" Kakashi mumbled and kept walking, figuring his best chance to escape would be just to ignore this crazy guy.

"HAHA! So cool and awesome, that's just like you, my eternal rival! But don't fear! I won't be fooled by this cool attitude of yours!" Gai shouted and ran in front of Kakashi so he could stand in his way again.

The Hatake rolled his eyes. What the hell was wrong with this Gai anyway? He kept calling him 'his eternal rival' and kept challenging him to ridiculous challenges since the day they had that mission together. Kakashi failed to figure out what caused this guy's strange behavior towards him. Again, Kakashi tried to just walk away.

"OH, I SEE! You've thought of a challenge for me! By the spirit of youth, I shall not lose to you, oh my eternal rival! You won't be able to ignore me for long! You will lose this challenge!" again Gai ran in front of Kakashi.

And like this Kakashi kept trying to get to the training ground while Gai kept getting in his way and shouting nonsense about the spirit of youth and rivalry and throwing flashy smiles and thumb-ups at him.

Finally the Hatake couldn't take it anymore. "Fine, I'll just go somewhere else, for god's sake…!" Kakashi grunted and turned on his heels to walk in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, he didn't sense the person who was right behind him. In the process, he walked right into them.

It turned out to be a little girl who now stumbled and fell backwards. She hit the ground before Kakashi could catch her and started to cry loudly.

"DON'T CRY LITTLE GIRL! You have THE SPIRIT OF YOUTH on your side! You should take it like a man!" Gai shouted in his own attempts to comfort the girl, while Kakashi didn't really know what to do.

The people on the street turned at the noise, some stopped to look. Then a young woman ran from one of the stores towards the kid, fell on her knees and took the child in her arms. The woman started soothing the little girl and whispering reassuring words to her, then she turned to face Kakashi.

"What's wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?" she said furiously, apparently thinking the Hatake hurt her daughter deliberately.

Taken aback Kakashi blinked, he was about to clarify the misunderstanding, but he heard an all too familiar voice.

"My, my… I'm so sorry, Kudou-san. Kakashi-kun didn't see your daughter and ran into her accidentally. You probably couldn't see it from where you were standing," the Yondaime Hokage said, smiling apologetically. Apparently, the blond had been nearby. He knelt near the young woman and petted her daughters head. "I hope you didn't hurt yourself too badly, young lady," he said to the girl with a bit of worry in his voice.

Now it was the woman who was taken aback. She blushed visibly as the Hokage knelt so near beside her. "I… I'm sorry. I really couldn't see what happened. I might have overreacted a bit… " she stuttered a little as she spoke. Meanwhile, the girl stopped sobbing and looked up rather curiously at the blond man.

"Ah, that's only understandable," the Yondaime nodded and smiled at the woman. "I wouldn't have acted in any different way if I had such an adorable daughter," he chuckled warmly. The woman blushed a little more as her gaze met the Hokage's blue eyes. She smiled back shyly.

A few minutes later the situation was solved. The woman with her daughter went back to shopping, and everyone else who was observing what happened returned to their own business.

The whole time Kakashi was just standing there, unable to take away his eyes from the Hokage. His heart was beating hard against his chest, his breath was coming fast.

"WOW! THAT WAS AMAZING, HOKAGE-SAMA!" Gai shouted and proceeded to say more, but Kakashi didn't really hear him or what the Yondaime was saying in response. The blood was rushing too loud through his veins. His thoughts were a mess too.

What should he do? He wasn't prepared for this meeting. How should he act towards the blond? Besides, they were standing in the middle of the street.

Kakashi saw Gai saying something without hearing him; he saw him wave his hand in farewell and run in the direction of the training ground. The Hatake turned his gaze slowly from the spot where Gai had been standing to the Hokage.

The blond sighed and smiled at Kakashi. His smile was still warm, but above all, it was really sad.

"Would you come eat some ramen at Ichiraku's with me?" he asked.

Kakashi's heart was aching at the sound of the blond man's voice. Memories of the two of them eating ramen at the famous food stand were floating in his mind. There were a lot of them, after all he had known the Yondaime since Kakashi was little and ramen was his sensei's favorite food. It seemed to be a long time ago that they ate together, but in fact it could not have been longer than three weeks.

He missed it.

"I'm sorry, I already have plans" Kakashi answered, the words coming from his mouth before he could actually understand what he was saying or why.

"Oh, is that so…" the blond said with regret in his voice. He meant to say more, but Kakashi cut him off.

"I have to go now."

With that, Kakashi performed some finger signs and disappeared in a small cloud—a well-known justu.

* * *

He was lying in his bed, like so often, staring at the ceiling. It was still afternoon, but after the encounter with the Yondaime he couldn't bring himself to do anything.

Why had he turned the blond down? He didn't really know.

Thinking of the Yondaime, Kakashi asked himself why the blond had approached him today. He didn't for days, so why now? Or was it just a coincidence? Maybe he didn't really intend to speak with him, but since the accident with the child, the Yondaime had felt forced to do so?

Anyway, what did he actually expect the Yondaime to do?

Kakashi didn't really know that either. It's just that he didn't want to pretend there never was a fight, and maybe that's why he refused to go to Ichiraku's with the Fourth.

He sighed and laid his arm over his eyes. Why was it so painful? Love was supposed to be about joy and happiness, not about sorrow.

"Hn…"

So what now? Maybe he should eat something. He didn't really have the appetite, but his stomach was telling him that he was indeed hungry.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as Kakashi was about to stand up. He frowned and listened closer. There it was again.

Kakashi half-expected to find Gai at his door, however, he didn't expect to see the Yondaime. The teen's eyes widened. He almost shut the door at the sight of the blond. "What do you want?" he managed to say finally without sounding too surprised or harsh.

"Mh… I thought maybe you misunderstood my intentions, so I decided to give it another try…" the Yondaime said scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. Then, all of the sudden he looked very serious, pinning Kakashi's gaze with his own. "I want to talk to you. May I come in?"

Kakashi noticed that his hands started sweating, signaling that his nervousness was out of his control. Nevertheless, he stepped aside letting the Yondaime inside.

"Thank you." The blond took his shoes off while Kakashi closed the door behind him. They proceeded to the kitchen. Kakashi gestured for his guest to take a seat and started to make some tea, hoping he would manage to do it without letting something slip. He also hoped his hands weren't shaking too obviously and that the Yondaime couldn't hear his madly beating heart.

He stayed with his back to the Hokage.

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Kakashi prompted without turning around. He tried to sound cool, but he wasn't sure whether he succeeded.

"Well, yes… I wanted to talk with you about what you said to me."

Hn, that was very vague. Kakashi thought about all the things he had said that day. He couldn't tell which part of it the blond meant. It made him even more nervous since he didn't know what to expect of this 'talk.'

"To be honest, I'm really lost here, Kakashi. I understand you are in love with me, which is still somewhat shocking to me…" the Yondaime started, but went still. He sighed, looking away from Kakashi's back. "The point is, I partly raised you. I've known you since you were a child! And I'm not even really interested in men, let alone in someone that young…"

Kakashi felt the blond's gaze on his back again.

"I am truly sorry for all I did that night at the club; I should have realized you were serious. You are precious to me, and I never meant to hurt you. I understand that you want more than an apology, and I know you deserve more… but I really don't know how to make it up to you."

Kakashi had to put the cup he was holding down or it would really slip out of his hand. He tried to stay composed, tried to prevent his shoulders from shaking, tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

He'd imagined the Yondaime would say something along those lines. Still, it was hard to actually hear him say it out loud. All those tiny hidden hopes Kakashi cherished were shattered at once.

The teen shuddered as he suddenly felt Yondaime's hands on his shoulders.

He wanted to ask Minato if, maybe, he could return his feelings in a few years, when Kakashi got older. But he realized how childish it was, so he kept his mouth shut.

Kakashi felt how he was carefully turned around. He didn't look up, but it seemed the Yondaime hadn't expected him to, anyway. Instead, Minato pulled him into an embrace. Kakashi couldn't help it—he buried his face into the crook of the other man's neck, breathing in his scent shakily.

"That sucks, sensei… I didn't want to hear that." Kakashi mumbled with a bitter laugh, leaning more into the man, feeling the warmth of his body. It felt so damn good to be so close to him. Kakashi knew it was meant to be nothing more than a comforting hug, but he couldn't control his feeling, his desire. He wanted to be hold like this as long as possible, wanted to be able to listen to his sensei's heartbeat, to his breathing. And… he wanted to be kissed, to be loved, by this man.

He sighed, and after a while, he added, although he didn't really mean to speak it out loud:

"I want you so badly."

* * *

tbc.


	4. Chapter 4

Minato had felt uncertain as he decided to embrace Kakashi for comfort, but he did it nevertheless. It seemed the right thing to do. Feeling unsure about the way Kakashi had leant into him—it was too close for Minato to feel comfortable—he still kept his arms around the teen, deciding it was the least he could do.

He told himself it was alright, that he was just trying to make Kakashi feel better and less alone in this messed up situation. He told himself Kakashi knew that he meant it as gesture of friendship. After all, he'd made clear there was no way he could return his feelings.

"I want you so badly."

Minato heard the whispered words suddenly leave Kakashi's lips, and he stiffened. No, he hadn't heard his former student say that. No, no, no.

It had been hard enough to deal with Kakashi's confession. He'd needed over three days to accept it and more or less become at ease with it. Still, he didn't really know how to deal with the situation in general and how to behave towards Kakashi. He'd figured he needed to make it clear that there was no happy ending to this story, and that was the reason behind his visit today.

It was already difficult enough. He didn't need Kakashi to kiss his neck or press his erection against him to…

Wait…

Oh my god, he actually kissed his neck! Minato didn't even want to think about the other part he'd just felt.

The Yondaime's eyes widened. He had only just enough self-control not to freak out then and there. Instead, he put his hands on Kakashi's shoulders and pushed him away, looking him in the eye.

His heart pounded hard in his chest.

"You can't come that close to me and expect me not to feel anything. Haven't you been in love? You're still not taking me seriously." Kakashi said in his defense, sounding a little hurt, but most of all, disappointed.

Minato admitted that he hadn't really thought THAT far about the whole issue. So, now he was really freaking out inwardly. Kakashi wanted to have sex with him? SEX!

No, no, no… This was wrong. It was wrong in so many ways. Kakashi couldn't actually want to have sex with him. Minato was trying to convince himself that he had somehow misinterpreted things.

He was still looking at Kakashi when his brain started to overload.

Ok. His former student—his just fifteen years old student—was in love with him. Meaning, he wanted to be close to the one he loved—him, the Yondaime—to hold hands with him and kiss. This, he understood somehow. With that, Minato could deal… or at least, he had prepared himself to deal with it before he came here. To be confronted with a teenager who lusted after him in a more mature way, however, was too much.

How could Kakashi even think of something like that?

Well, considering that the teen had gone as far as dyeing his hair just to get inside a striptease club, he should have known that Kakashi was past the point where it was enough to imagine kissing the beloved one. But still, the thought of them having sex with each other hadn't occurred to him because…

He opened his mouth in an attempt to talk some sense into his former student who was supposed to be a prodigy, but he found himself on a loss of words. So he shut his mouth without saying anything. Then, he tried again, and again, but his attempts remained fruitless. Instead, he was very successful in mimicking a fish.

Kakashi freed himself from the Yondaime's grip, which wasn't all too difficult because Minato held him rather loosely. "What?" Kakashi asked, annoyed or so it sounded to Minato. "Don't give me that look! As if it's outrageous!"

As if? He had been thinking about kissing Kakashi as a sort of compensation before. He'd imagined them sharing a chaste kiss which was just as much as he could ethically justify. Anything more *was* outrageous.

"You didn't have any problems when you were flirting with me." The teen's voice was cold.

"It was different," Minato was quick to respond.

"Maybe. But what I feel is not wrong. I want you because I love you. I'm not some six-year-old. It's not wrong," Kakashi told him, determined to make his point clear. He had seemed surprised and a bit embarrassed before, but Minato's reaction to his whispered words seemed to have awoken the teen's stubbornness.

"But Kakashi, I'm totally the wrong person for this!"

"You don't have to reject me over and over again. I got it, sensei. I'm not dumb or deaf. I didn't even mean to say it. But now, well, you don't need to act as if I'm a disgusting person only because I want to sleep with you. Because I'm not!"

"I'm not disgusted by you," Minato protested because he really wasn't. He was disgusted by the thought of touching Kakashi in a sensual way. And he wasn't so much disgusted as that he just couldn't imagine himself doing anything of that sort.

"But you don't think it's something natural, either," Kakashi stressed.

Well, no. How was it in any way natural to want to…

Minato brushed his hand through his hair, looking aside to escape Kakashi's intense gaze. He didn't even want to think about it. It was disturbing, to say the least.

"Then tell me, sensei—when you were my age, can you remember finding it strange to be attracted to someone in their mid-twenties?"

"Well…" Minato admitted Kakashi had a point there, but still. He wasn't ready to admit defeat yet. "Then, imagine Uchiha Itachi would approach you and tell you the same thing you told me." Itachi was only five years younger than Kakashi, but the Yondaime imagined it would be still enough to make his point clear.

"But he is only ten. He is too young to have sex, and I doubt he really knows whether it's love or only a crush. He's ten! You can't compare me with him!" Kakashi argued, frowning at the blond.

"For me, you are too young, too," the Yondaime said matter-of-factly, sighing. By the look on Kakashi's face, Minato judged that the teen understood his point. Running a hand through his hair once again, he continued. "I'm sorry I overreacted, but you really startled me, to say the least."

Minato leant with his back against the kitchenette. He glanced at his former student just in time to catch his gaze for a few seconds before the teen looked away, but he too leant at the work counter beside him.

"So… what now?" the blond heard the teenager ask uncertainly.

"Ramen?" Minato asked back since he didn't have any better idea.

* * *

They'd bought the ramen and eaten it (without much conversation) at Minato's place because Kakashi hadn't felt like going back home, or so he'd said.

Minato didn't really mind. And at least the atmosphere wasn't as awkward as he'd expected. He still didn't know how to deal with Kakashi, but he figured the teen wasn't much more in control of things than he was. So, if nothing else, they had something in common here.

"Do you know the Cinderella story, Kakashi?" he asked as he felt the silence had lingered for too long.

His student gave him a funny look but nodded.

"There's still time 'til midnight. I will be at your disposal until then."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kakashi's eyebrow quirked.

Minato shrugged, he didn't really know, either. He thought he could push aside his morals a bit—only as far as he felt comfortable, of course—but maybe it would be enough for a sweet memory, because at this moment, Minato was certain that they had no future together. His feelings for Kakashi were different, and he couldn't imagine them changing the way the boy whished them to be.

The teenager seemed to have gotten the idea, for he stood up and moved to where the Yondaime was sitting. He appeared uncertain, but Minato couldn't blame him for that, especially since he'd freaked out earlier when Kakashi had kissed his neck.

"May I kiss you?" Kakashi asked slowly.

Minato raised an eyebrow. "Quite forward."

"Well, you know me…" Kakashi smirked, apparently gaining his self-confidence back. "So?"

"Not very Cinderella like."

"That's because I'm not the one who's going to disappear at midnight, after all. So I just want to make sure to get the most important things done first."

The Yondaime couldn't help but laugh. "It's not very likely I'm gonna disappear—it's my apartment. Why would I leave you here and go somewhere else?"

Kakashi shrugged. "That's the way the story goes—I'm sure you have plenty up your sleeves. You haven't answered my question, though"

So, a kiss it should be. He'd had time to think about it earlier, so he was mentally prepared. He nodded, whereon Kakashi lowered himself down, kneeling in front the Yondaime who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch.

The teen leant in further while Minato tried to stay calm about it. His heartbeat speeded up somewhat, but he kept telling himself that it was alright. He wasn't a pedophile or perverted. It was ok because the initiative was coming from Kakashi, right? He closed his eyes and felt the boy's lips on his own only seconds later. He went still, holding his breath, and Kakashi moved his lips carefully, placing on hand on his shoulder.

Minato figured he should respond in a way rather than go completely stiff, but he just couldn't relax. To push aside one's doubts about what was right and what was not wasn't all that easy.

Kakashi was kissing his lower lip, then his upper lip, then again his lower…

Minato knew the teen wouldn't stop until he kissed him back, so he plucked up some courage and was about to make his move as Kakashi licked over his upper lip. Before the teen could try to push his tongue through the Yondaime's lips, the blond opened his eyes and pushed Kakashi slightly back.

Reddish shafts of sunlight were illuminating the room only slightly from where they could creep through the partly drawn curtains. Still, the Yondaime could see the features of Kakashi's face perfectly; there was no mask to prevent his gaze. He was beautiful… and so very, very young. It was disturbing to see so much unfulfilled desire in those mismatched eyes he knew so well.

It was disturbing to see fear in them.

"No tongue," Minato said, so low he almost couldn't hear his own words.

God, could he really do it? He would rather run away, run as fast as he could. Instead, he pulled the teenager closer again and kissed him carefully.

Kakashi responded to him almost immediately and a bit too eagerly, which made the kiss kind of sloppy. Minato wanted to pull away after this one kiss, but apparently his former student had other plans. He felt a hand sneaking to his neck and the other one on his chest while Kakashi kept pressing kisses onto his lips.

The Yondaime had the feeling this was going too far and wasn't going to lead to a happy ending, so he responded to one more kiss, slowing its pace down. He brushed the back of his hand over Kakashi's cheek, felt the teen sigh into the kiss in return. He felt almost bad as he pulled away from Kakashi, parting their lips.

He could hear the teen exhale soundly. He tried to steal another kiss, but the Yondaime saw it coming and put his fingers against Kakashi's lips, preventing him from achieving his goal.

"Isn't it already enough?" Minato asked softly.

Kakashi looked down to hide his disappointment, but Minato saw it nevertheless.

"I guess it wasn't such a good idea, after all," the teen told him with regret in his voice. He didn't look up, but he moved to sit beside the Hokage. "Can I ask you something, sensei?"

"Sure." He felt guilty for kissing Kakashi since he had the impression that he made it even worse, so he was going to answer any question if it would make things better.

"Have you ever suffered from unrequited love?"

Minato sighed. He should have probably expected that question…He doubted somehow that his experience in that matter would help Kakashi in any way. Nevertheless, he decided to answer as well as he could.

"Well… While I've been unhappy in love once, I've never been really rejected. I was a rather quiet kid and others picked on me when I was at the Academy. There was a girl, Kushina, with incredibly red hair. I thought it was beautiful, but others teased her because of it. To my surprise, she never cried and always fought back—she was rather tomboyish. She defended me a few times, too..."

Minato felt a bit nostalgic as he remembered those times. He sighed, caught in his memories for a moment, but he continued after a few seconds.

"I admired her for her courage… and for her wild beauty. It was at that time that I decided to become Hokage someday. I exclaimed it to the whole class." He smiled at the memory and shook his head as if he couldn't believe he'd actually done it back then.

"Everyone laughed at me, except her. I partly did it to impress her, mh… Well, as you can imagine my love story went different to yours, Kakashi-kun. After graduating from the Academy, we were put on the same genin team, and afterwards, on the same chuunin team. But you see, I was a coward, so I never told her how I felt."

Minato felt Kakashi's gaze on him and turned to look at the teen, smiling faintly.

"But how were you able to seal those feelings away?" Kakashi demanded to know. "I was trying to shut them away for years, but eventually, they just burst out and I ruined our relationship!"

The teen looked down, seeming furious with himself.

Minato put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. Stupid boy—how could he think he ruined their friendship?

But he hadn't answered Kakashi's question…

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling his heart socked with bitter-sweet pain. While he cherished memories of Kushina, it was always hard to remember because all those precious moments, precious feelings, were mixed with regret and sorrow now. He laughed unhappily at Kakashi's question.

"I was never able to do that, but time made it easier." He smiled, putting his arm around Kakashi's shoulders now and pulling the teen closer. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't ruin our relationship; I would never let that happen. It's maybe awkward like it is now, but it will get better again. Besides, I deeply regret never telling her, and now she is gone and I will never know what her answer might have been. My memories of her are full of what-ifs. At least yours won't be."

Kakashi went silent and so did Minato.

For the first time since his student's confession, he truly thought it had been for the better. He felt proud of Kakashi, for the teen managed to overcome his fears which Minato could not back then. Maybe their love stories weren't all that different, only they had different endings.

"I can't believe someone picked on you," Kakashi said, changing the topic.

The boy's voice brought Minato back to the here and now. He blinked and looked at Kakashi. "But it's true," he insisted, laughing sheepishly. "Someone told me it was the way I always smiled that made them dislike me. I don't really know… and don't really care—it's too long ago." He shrugged.

"You should have beaten them up," Kakashi told him grumpily.

It made the Yondaime respond in an educational tone. "My, that's not a very nice thing to do."

"Hmpf! You are too nice, always have been… And you are probably neglecting your work because you feel obligated to comfort me. You should go back; I'll be fine"

Through all that grumpiness, Minato could hear disappointment, but also affection in the teen's voice, which made him smile.

"But it isn't midnight yet."

"You are just looking for excuses to skip work!"

At that, the Yondaime laughed sheepishly as if caught off-guard. Well, he couldn't deny that it was, in fact, a nice side effect that he had included to himself as he made his proposition to Kakashi. After all, he was a weak man sometimes, yes.

"Just go! Really, I'm fine now," Kakashi huffed. He pulled Minato's arm off him and stood up.

The Yondaime didn't know how to take this sudden determination to make him go back to work. He figured that Kakashi might want to be left alone for some time. But why not just tell him so? Ah, this was Kakashi. Minato shook his head and smiled to himself; how could he forget such an important fact?

Although he hadn't wanted to leave Kakashi alone before, he felt it was alright now. In fact, he felt more positive, and though they hadn't solved everything, he found that he could talk to Kakashi freely again.

"Fine, I'm going then." With that, he rose to his feet. He flashed a smile at Kakashi in farewell and left using his Hiraishin no Jutsu.

* * *

"Told you you'll find a way to disappear on me," Kakashi said, although his sensei (his former sensei, to be precise) was long gone.

He smiled and touched his lips, remembering the kisses, especially the last one. Somehow, he wasn't feeling so angry and desperate anymore. He didn't know what the future would bring him, but he knew he wouldn't be alone.

Feeling lightheaded, Kakashi knelt down and retrieved his sensei's sandals, which the man had forgotten to put back on. With those, he left the Yondaime's apartment, heading to the Hokage's Tower and smirking to himself.

One would say it would be hard to find Cinderella if you have both of her shoes and at least one half of the people in your village were wearing the same pair, some even of the same size. Well, Hatake Kakashi was special, for he had the great advantage of knowing his Cinderella's location and identity…

Wasn't he a lucky prince?

The End

A/N: thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed m(_ _)m


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